Mosquitoes suck. Literally, figuratively, and every other way. These bloodsuckers have been a worldwide menace since the beginning of recorded history. A popularly reposted infographic lists them as—by far—the world’s deadliest animal, thanks to the parade of nasty diseases they can transmit. West Nile, Zika, chikungunya, malaria, dengue—these are no longer illnesses confined to the global south. In recent years, all have been discovered in bugs in the United States.
Ridding your property of mosquitoes is a decidedly Quixotic effort. You can stem the tide for a while, but you can’t ever win the war. Once whatever abatement method you use has worn off, they swoop back in, thirstier than ever. Nevertheless, you have to do something. Left unattended, mosquitoes can quickly turn from a nuisance to an epidemic that makes your outdoor space completely unusable.
Outside of wide-scale community mosquito spraying programs, most personal and home-based mosquito abatement tools focus on repelling them rather than trying to outright kill them. Insecticides like DEET work by being rubbed onto the skin, while metofluthrin and allethrin work in vapor form, creating a cloud of repellent that works without you having to make physical contact with the chemicals. Trapping mosquitoes is another potential option, luring them into a chamber from which they can’t escape.
For years I’ve tried innumerable technologies and tactics to rid my property—and my very susceptible skin—from mosquitoes. Here’s what I’ve uncovered to date that works—and what doesn’t.
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Featured Products
Thermacell Fuel-Zoneguard Base Mosquito Repeller
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Thermacell LIV Smart Mosquito Repellent System 2.0
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Tiki BiteFighter Plug & Repel
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Best Personal Repellent Gear
Photograph: Christopher Null
Thermacell
E-ZoneGuard E55
This pint-sized repeller weighs a little more than a pound and recharges via a USB-C cable. Power it up and a heating element inside warms a vial of metofluthrin, releasing mosquito-repulsing vapor in your immediate vicinity, about 10 feet in every direction. It’s simple and extremely portable, making it easy to move from one area to another.
The system works. It warms up in just a few minutes and effectively keeps bugs at bay, provided you keep the repeller close by. Best of all, I was able to take it with me as I moved around the yard—but be warned, there’s some lag time for the vapor cloud to reform each time you relocate. A small chemical replacement cartridge lasts for about 36 hours; refills are $39 for a 2-pack.
Note that Thermacell markets myriad versions of this product, including a unit with a built-in light, one with a docking station for easier charging, one with longer battery life, and one that is ruggedized and can be worn around the neck on a lanyard. Any of the above will get the job done (and done well) in functionally the same way.
Photograph: Christopher Null
Thermacell
Fuel-Zoneguard Base Mosquito Repeller
This butane-powered device offers a twist on the E-ZoneGuard line, containing no battery at all, which may be preferred in some exceptionally off-the-grid environments. Instead, a butane cartridge twists into the system. When activated (no flame needed), it heats up a replaceable chemical mat that slides into a groove on top of the device, this one using allethrin instead of metofluthrin. One downside: The vapor shield promised by the Fuel-Zoneguard stretches only about 7½ feet in each direction, more restrictive than the E-Zoneguard, and a butane canister will only get you about 12 hours of operation. Allethrin may also be less effective than metofluthrin against pests. That said, I experienced great results with this product and found the freedom from cables to be liberating. Refills run $19 for 24 hours of extra fuel and insecticide mats (sold together).
The Fuel-Zoneguard is also sold as part of a lantern or in a handheld form, designed for use on the go. (As with E-Zoneguard products, the underlying technology is identical.)
Best Large-Scale Repellent Gear
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Photograph: Christopher Null
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Photograph: Christopher Null
Thermacell
LIV Smart Mosquito Repellent System 2.0
Take Thermacell’s E-Zoneguard system and make it yard-sized, and you’ve got LIV, a semi-permanent solution that uses the same repellent chemical (metofluthrin) but dramatically expands its coverage potential.
The system is built around a hub that plugs into wall power and connects to your home’s Wi-Fi. Up to 10 freestanding repellers connect to this hub via cables. You string them in a chain to surround your deck, your pool, or whatever else you want to protect from mosquitoes. Arranged in a rough circle, the resultant cloud of repellent serves as a large-scale barrier that can protect the whole family from being attacked. It’s all controlled via a mobile app (with Alexa support allegedly in the works), so you can fire the system up before you even head outside.
